Welcome to HVAC-Talk.com, a non-DIY site and the ultimate Source for HVAC Information & Knowledge Sharing for the industry professional! Here you can join over 150,000 HVAC Professionals & enthusiasts from around the world discussing all things related to HVAC/R. You are currently viewing as a NON-REGISTERED guest which gives you limited access to view discussions

To gain full access to our forums you must register; for a free account. As a registered Guest you will be able to:

Participate in over 40 different forums and search/browse from nearly 3 million posts.

could someone please tell me if when its gets cold enough for the heat strips to come on is the heat pump unit outside suppose to be running? i was told it is not suppose to be running they said it would create a double electric bill which i have thank you. i was told only the fan upstairs is suppose to be running to push the heat strip heat out.

heatpump runs allthe time except in defrost mode.
heat strips should be wired where half of the strips are used for auxillary and all for emergency heat.
auxillary strips come on when temp is 1 or 2 degrees below setpoint.

did you think when it is cold enough for the heat strips to come on that the heat pump will go off leaving the heat strip to heat the house by it's self ? won't happen the heat pump can pull heat out of the air is very low temps but it does have to defrost ann will need help in freezing temps to heat a house.. but you'll have to find a better excuse or another person to blame you're high heat bill on.. i have a gripe why do uninformed homeowners come on here looking to dump there problem on the havc tech or installer when they have no idea how the equipment operates.homeowners before you blame get and idea of what else it could be it's not always are faults. now look at other things that could cause a high electric bill thank you

the doulble bill is not in my head i can tell you. i have a 275.00 electric bill and its not from anything else except for this lousy heat pump. i have a 1332 square foot house and live in south carolina and my house is cold as heck but thank you anyway. i was not trying to find a excuse just a solution and i thought that is why i signed on to this page. sorry for your trouble!!!!!!!!!!!

Heat Pump 101: Heat pump will be sized to satisfy the COOLING requirements. The manufacturer will provide information on the heating available with this PROPERLY SIZED heat pump system. Heat pump will satisfy heating requirements to the balance point (lower with higher efficiency equipment) but usually around high 20's or low 30's. At that point, the heat pump will continue to operate and the resistance heat (strip heaters) will come on as needed to supplement the heat pump. This is accomplished with sequencers that bring the strip heat on incrementally. for example, if you have 15 KW of aux. heat it may come on in 5 kw 10 kw steps. Even at 0 or below outdoor temp. the heat pump contributes significantly toward the heat load. Remember that the whole concept of a heat pump is that it is less expensive to MOVE heat from point a to point b than to generate the heat. I believe that the resistance heat (heat strips) should be sized to carry the load, or as much as possible, on their own, so that if emergency heat is required, it can provide adequate heat. Even under these circumstances, the heaters should come on in steps. Newer heat pumps are much more efficient that the "first generation" units. And in some areas, can be MORE efficient that other fuels, i.e. lp gas, oil, etc. As indicated early on, and so that I am consistent in what I say, DO CALL A PROFESSIONAL. I don't believe it was centralflinstaller's intent to be sarcastic, but the bottom line is to call in a professional to diagnose the exact problem and correct it. There is not much you can do as a HO to correctly and SAFELY troubleshoot the system.

Originally posted by summer1961 could someone please tell me if when its gets cold enough for the heat strips to come on is the heat pump unit outside suppose to be running? i was told it is not suppose to be running they said it would create a double electric bill which i have thank you. i was told only the fan upstairs is suppose to be running to push the heat strip heat out.

summer1961 says he was told the above,My guess would be that was by his or her Pro,and it's wrong.

If the heatpumps not running and the strip heat is,your bill will be much higher ,and in some cases double.

thank you to all who replied back.jus trying to get a another opinion because this is a new heat pump and is very cold in this house and the trane installer for our new house says nothing is wrong. thank you again